Supercars On A $50,000 Budget: A Beastly 500 Horsepower SUV

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Porsche invented the super SUV with the Cayenne Turbo.

If you want to buy a turbocharged Porsche for less than $50,000, your choices are limited. You could find a high-mileage 997.1 Turbo or even a modified 964 Turbo under this budget, but you may be looking for a while if you want something a little newer. That is unless you are willing to go a slightly different route. Finding a turbocharged Porsche for less than $50,000 is a difficult challenge unless you're looking for a Cayenne. Surprisingly, the internet is littered with Cayenne Turbos that are available for less than $50k.

We get it, you may have a tough time considering a 4,784 pound SUV a supercar, but consider this. The 2011 Cayenne Turbo came with a 4.8-liter twin-turbo V8 which produced 500 horsepower. With an eight-speed automatic transmission, the Cayenne Turbo could hit 60 mph in 4-seconds flat and complete the quarter-mile in just 12.4 seconds. For reference, the Porsche Cayman GT4 takes 4.1-seconds to hit 60 mph and 12.3 seconds to complete the quarter-mile. Moreover, the GT4 will cost you at least $85,000. When it was new, the Cayenne Turbo had a base price of $106,975, but you now get one for less than half of that price.

We picked a 2011 Cayenne Turbo which has just under 63,000 miles on it. The car is finished in white with a brown leather interior. The price is $44,995 at Everest Motors, Inc. in Houston Texas. Unfortunately, at this price you won't be able to find a Cayenne Turbo that is certified preowned. Although, if you really want a practical car that can still tear your face off, this could be it. Just think about bringing the Cayenne home from the dealership. Your wife won't suspect that you just brought home a 500 horsepower vehicle with two turbos. If you brought home a spots car like a Boxster, she would immediately call it impractical and make you take it back.

The Cayenne is an SUV with supercar power that can haul your entire family and their stuff. If you so desire, you can even take the Cayenne off-road or onto a race track. Porsche really built this SUV to handle every situation.

If you are considering going out to look for a Cayenne Turbo, here are a few things to look out for. To stay under our budget, you won't be getting a certified pre-owned warranty so you will be on the hook for expensive repairs. The Cayenne Turbo is surprisingly reliable, but it does consume oil at an alarming rate. You should probably learn how to fill the oil (if you don't already know) to avoid constantly going to the dealer for something so simple. There is also a known issue with the navigation system which can sometimes freeze up, as well as various wear-and-tear issues with the leather and different stickers in the engine bay that can come unglued.

Just make sure that you do a thorough inspection of the vehicle before you buy. Porsche maintenance can be expensive, so you want to find out if anything is wrong. The Cayenne Turbo is a surprisingly fast, surprisingly reliable SUV that can offer you sports car performance with amazing practicality.